Eat organic, exercise, sweat — and drink lots of water
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.com7 natural strategies to detox your body
Seeded on Fri Sep 3, 2010 7:23 PM EDT (msnbc.com)
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Two biggest sources of mercury pollution in the environment and in your body: compact fluorescent lights and the fillings in your teeth.
You can get more mercury from a seafood dinner that from any filling. The harmful part of the mercury in your fillings are in the form of mercury vapors. These vapors are only present during the placement of an amalgam restoration and the removal of an amalgam restoration. Other than that, the amounts are barely detectable.
Sure there are toxins out there and it is good to get rid of them, but the organic food movement is kind of a sham in the way it is policed. I've seen so much food that is neither local or organic that is marked as such and people are lulled into a false sense of security and like they are doing the right thing.
Growing stuff like they did in the 1800's creates massive amounts of waste. We are far more environmental minded than people were 200 years ago, and therefore there aren't as many chemicals getting into us as in the past. Just think of the pollution we endured during the 70's. Even with increased population our food is cleaner, our water is cleaner, we understand more about toxins in our body, and we can combat it easier. There are many options for eating NON-organic and still being healthy and not being conned into thinking you are doing yourself or the environment a favor Most importantly don't eat massive amounts of prepared foods full of preservatives. Eat food that you make yourself out of fruits, veggies, and meats (if you eat meat) that you choose by yourself. Restaurants and canned food are where we really run into trouble.
I have been extremely healthy after switching to just preparing my own meals and selecting produce that looks good, smells good, and that I have thoroughly washed. Large farms can actually be very efficient, and many of the extremely dangerous things they were putting on produce (like AZT) were banned long ago. Just because a farmer is local doesn't mean they aren't using stuff that can be dangerous, or that they might not end up with pig or cow manure runoff in their water supply that taints the food. In fact the chances are even greater that you will suffer from illness due to their small setup and frequent proximity to other farmers and ranchers, rather than the large farms that are not offering a diverse array of products that can result in contamination. I'd rather eat a potato from Idaho from a farm that specializes in potatoes and does them well than to buy from a local that sells potatoes, corn, peas, and also raises their own chickens for "organic eggs" on a family farm. You're begging for trouble in that type of situation no matter how many "local" and "organic" stickers they put on their stuff. Cross contamination is real and extremely dangerous.
Just giving a flipside view. Eat healthy however you can, but don't overpay and buy stuff that really doesn't make a huge difference. Find a place that has reliable produce that you feel good about eating and it looks, feels, smells, and TASTES fresh. You know bad produce when you see it. Most importantly... keep it clean!
I'm pretty sure in 1800, infant's cord blood didn't contain 287 different toxins, including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides, and Teflon chemical. EWG conducted an examination on the cord blood of 10 infants born in August and September 2004 in U.S. hospitals and found just that. Of these chemicals, 180 are known to cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests. This test was conducted with the cord blood of only 10 infants, who knows what could be found in others...
I agree with minimizing if not eliminating processed foods is an important step, but choosing organic for at least the dirty dozen http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php can't hurt, especially for children and adults of reproductive age. I've always felt organic was best environmentally, and suggest people starting or with young families read Raising Baby Green by Alan Green, M.D., F.A.A.P . at the Packard Children's Hospital at the Stanfaord University School of Medicine.
If you feel 1800s agriculture was wasteful, realize that organic farms can actually be quite productive. There is little wasteful in composting. Animal manure is generally composted before being applied as fertilizers, and is not spreading harmful bacteria. Modern agricultural practices can still be used, just not most modern chemicals. Eating local and organic when possible is good for your health and the environment. I haven't heard of E. coli or Salmonella outbreaks from organic sources...
As for policing of organic- earning USDA certification isn't easy, and what in this country is well regulated? With all the food recalls going on lately, conventional foods aren't being well controlled either.
Anyone who proposes to "detoxify" human beings (or any other animals) is a snake oil salesman. That's not the way it works.
The question that the health food nuts never seem to be able to answer is, if the environment is so full of toxins, then why are people living longer than ever?
People are living longer because of good medical treatment. Both of my parents were retired teachers with good medical coverage.
My father died at 82 from prostate and lung cancer(smoker). HIs brother also died of lung cancer. Both were smokers. My mother had a stroke. She was a 10 year wheelchair bound diabetic overweight woman who died at 83. (She smoked Marlboros!)
My mother lived at home for the 10 years with a full time health care worker, and myself as her caregiver. I was fortunately retired.
anybody got any DDT?
You need to be ph balanced. If not your body cannot clean itself out. If you are to acidic, the fat in your body will hold the acid inwhich holds all toxins in. If you are balanced the body will remove the acidity and along with the toxins, You must look into the ph issue. I have gotten rid of extra weight,high blood pressure,high cholesterol,high sugar and a few other issues by getting balanced. It is worth taking a look into it. again ph balance look it up. thanks
The human body's homeostatic mechanisms keep it's pH at 7.4. Docs measure this if the need arises to perform an arterial blood gas analysis. The body's pH has nothing to do with "detoxification." Eating fewer calories and burning more calories by exercising (3500 calories per pound of adipose tissue) is how one loses weight.
Perhaps the single most brilliant statement every made by mortal man is as follows:
"There's a sucker born every minute."
We recently went to an all organic farmer's market. The day before we went to a regular farmers market. The fruits and vegetables at the organic one were smaller, less appealing and more expensive. My wife commented, "These farmers need to use pesticides so that their produce looks better!"
D'oh! O_o
Bigger and better looking have absolutely no bearing on the nutritional content or the amount of toxins the produce has. If that's the way you select what you eat, good luck to you.
Bigger does not equal better.
high fiber and plenty of water plus exercise to sweat
You can't sweat some chemicals out of your body. Homeopathic remedies are the only way I can get them out. I've exercised all my life; when I get a migraine and start throwing up every 15 minutes, exercise doesn't make me feel better. If I take my homeopathic remedies for specific chemicals, I feel better within 1 - 2 hours and completely back to normal within 5 - 6 hours.
The only time I've had a headache in years was recently after exercising on an empty stomach (to maximize burning of fat). It must have been too extreme. The headache lasted for what seemed like 24 hours in varying degrees of intensity. Then I read that there is a correlation between not having anything in the tank and exerting oneself.
If you have regular migraines something is definitely awry.
Exercising with on an empty stomach will not help you burn fat (I'm assuming you meant that you had not food for several hours before working out). Pleas correct me if I'm wrong, but here I go. By exercising when your hungry, kicks in a built in survival instinct. To the human body, fat is more valuable then muscle in the long run. When out of fuel and in need of energy for hard work, the body will break down muscle to create the fuel your body demands. This is called a catabolic state were no fat is burned (or very little) and muscle is lost. I know this isn't on topic, but I thought it important to point out, that to lose weight, you need to EAT! Why you and and when makes the difference.
This IS all true. I have survived physically, emotionally, and mentally for the last 18 years by using homeopathic remedies to detox harmful chemicals, especially pesticides, and mold from my body. The fact that this article offered nothing regarding treatment, but only included ways to prevent illness from chemicals, shows how clueless the medical community is!
When I'm exposed to these chemicals and mold, not only do I get unbelievably ill, but I can't think straight and do really spacy things. I couldn't hold a job if I didn't have a wonderful M.D. who has a degree in environmental medicine and uses homeopathic medicine to treat me.
It's very easy to say this is all nonsense, but I know it isn't. I've lived a healthy lifestyle, but I was always sick and depressed. Many people don't know how affected they are from these harmful chemicals because they've always felt the way they do.
I do know that in 22 years of teaching, I see more emotionally disturbed and mentally disabled students every year. Many of them are so physically unhealthy that they can barely stay awake, let alone concentrate and learn.
Low economic areas of the city are usually the most toxic areas, and the children suffer. I don't know if anyone has done statisical studies comparing the high levels of cancer and mental/emotional disability in low economic areas vs. middle/high economic neighborhoods. The scary thing is that toxic chemicals spread freely throughout our water and air and affect an entire city. It's ironic that we are so paranoid about a few terrorists "invading" our country, yet we ignorant the fact that we're killing ourselves with toxic chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Do you just think it's a coincidence that our nation is getting more stupid, the crime rates are the highest in the world, and 1 out of 3 kids doesn't complete high school? Behaviors are a result of our body's and our mind's health. Toxic chemicals are destroying both!
We need a new paradigm for our medical and mental survival.
Sorry about the grammatical errors...can't blame chemicals this time, just lack of sleep.
I might also add that toxification coupled with nutrient deficiency is a potent cocktail for sickness and disease. The FDA levels of vitamins your body needs is a joke. The single most important vitamin for your health is vitamin D. And while over exposure to the sun is not good, blocking all the sun with sunblock will do more to aid in cancer formation than anyone knows. It affects all of your body's systems. I agree with everything in this article. It also seems to only talk about toxins in a pesticide like environment, but genetically modified produce can also be toxic as well. There is engineered produce that generates it's own pesticide and I would suggest steering clear of these GMO products as well. Go organic as much as possible.
Twice a day?! One would have to live on some kind of laxative to go that often.
Though I don't eat a lot of food overall, (hey, I'm a sedate little guy with no gut), I eat healthy enough, drink plenty of fluids and get quite adequate amounts of fiber... Not to be graphic, but once a day is rare enough. Twice a day ain't happenin'... That is, unless I'm sick...
When you ain't gotta go, you ain't gonna go...
I'm all for eating healthy and robust exercise regimens. I'm a family practice doc in good health with a BMI of 23 and do marathons and triathlons. I do not believe in "alternative medicine." I believe in the practice of "evidence-based medicine."
I must point out that many the claims of this author are neither supported nor refuted by the scientific literature. He claims many toxins are fat-soluble (the truth depends) yet drinking water and sweating are supposed to remove such toxins from the body? General recommendations on fluid intake can be dangerous if do not take into account the size or activity level of the person involved. Hyponatremia, for example, is a potentially deadly condition resulting from the ingestion of too much free water.
True that fat-soluble toxins can be eliminated through the stool. Is there any study that proves that patients with 2 bowel movements per day eliminate more toxins than those who have 1 bowel movement per day? No. Is there any study of removing toxins from the body by any method that shows clinical benefit? No. Is there any study that shows clinical benefit from taking any vitamin or herbal supplement? No.
It is prudent to eat healthy and exercise. It seems logical to avoid chemicals, pesticides, and to not look for a prescription pill (or over-the-counter product) to cure every ill. But a lot of what's in this article is junk science / pseudoscience. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscience
At least it isn't linked to a website which sells supplements, colon cleansers, or other detoxifying products. Thank goodness it does not recommend "chelation therapy."
I agree with water consumption. I think we are all different and one needs to listen to what their body may be telling them. If you're thirsty, drink some clean water. Another point to consider is all the studies. There are numerous issues with some of the quoted studies. Medical professionals need to be careful about taking studies on face value. Even the medical journals have been endorsing some studies that have been found out to be pharmaceutical public relations advertising campaigns.
Agree. Clinical trials, especially ones involving new drugs, need to be carefully scrutinized and ideally reproduced. Prescription drug companies, as well as manufacturers of vitamins/herbs/supplements/wt loss products, are for-profit companies. And doctors get pissed when manufacturers hide data in an attempt to deceive.
Incandescent bulbs use about twice the mercury of compact fluorescents over their lifetime. Half of our electricity is generated from coal. The extra electricity needed for incandescents means that more mercury is spewed out into the environment, with no way to clean it up. There is a small amount of mercury in CFLs and if you were to break one and inhale the gas, it would hurt you. But if you take precaution in disposal and recycle them, the mercury won't get into the environment.Â
CFLs last years and our community recycles them. They are not a hazard. And, they require less electrical power, and thus less pollution is generated from whatever the original power source.
Eat organic is on the list of how to detox? That is all you need to know to be certain this article is worthless pap. Organic fruits and vegetables, in almost every single unbiased study ever done, have been show to have multiple times as much pesticides remaining on them at time of consumption as their non-organic brethren.
Anyone who would do the research to write an article like this would have to see that. It is almost impossible to miss. Unless of course you did no research and just typed whatever you thought was right.
Would you mind backing that up with links? Also, is the 'non-organic brethren' a GMO crop that manufactures it's own pesticide from within?
Please cite your references.
I was with you until you said I should take pills at the end. That's not very natural, sparky.
Great article with a lot of insight. These are some great tips, but I believe there is a lot more to do.
I have spent years trying out different detox methods, and just recently wrote an article of my findings if anyone would like to check it out:
http://www.sonasholistic.com/1/post/2010/09/how-to-fully-detox-your-body-through-a-colon-foot-and-body-detox.html
Good luck on your detox journey!
I healed from Multiple Sclerosis by natural healing methods. I know, I've heard it over and over. You don't heal from ms. That's true- that in western medicine you don't heal from ms because they don't have a pill that can cause regeneration. However, I no longer suffer. Yeah!!
...and I feel so much better now!
The best detox program I did was the Hubbard method of detox, which has been used successfully by first responders at 9/11.